[France] Message to Germany (CC: United States, United Kingdom, Russia)

[Alexander]

Empire de France
Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères

---

​

From: Sophie Dubois, Ministre de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, France
To: Verena Schreiber, Chancellor of Germany (Zander97)
CC: Jackson Fitzgerald (Odinson), Emma Ryan (Jamie), Igor Ivanov (John)
Classification: Confidential

Subject: Changes to the Basic Law of Germany

---

Your Excellency,

Recently through the German broadcaster ZDF this government has become aware of changes to your constitution. Namely the removal of article 79. Combined with the nature of your largest ruling party this change has caused significant concern.

The Basic Law of Germany was in part composed and imposed by the Allies following German surrender in World War 2, and designed to guarantee that a repeat of National Socialist Germany and its occupation of most of Europe, as well as its campaign of mass extermination that resulted in the deaths of 17 million Jews, Romani, Soviets, Slavs, and other groups, in what became the world's first and only example of systemic and industrial mass genocide. Considering this history, any changes that undermine democracy in Germany are extremely troubling. Furthermore, per the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany these changes are unlawful.

As such before we determine our final position we must ask the following questions.

1. What will the German government do to guarantee that it cannot change articles 1 and 20 of the Basic Law of Germany?
2. Why has the German government insisted on removing democratic processes for the imposition of constitutional changes?
3. Why did the German government not hold a referendum among the German people before pursuing such a drastic change of the Basic Law?

The Foreign Ministers of the United States, United Kingdom, and the Russian Empire, as the other victorious Allies of World War 2 in Europe, have received a copy of this message and will be informed of any reply.

Sincerely,
Sophie Dubois,
Ministre de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères,

 

[Jay]

TO: Sophie Dubois Alexander
Classification: Confidential
[Confidential] [Private and Encrypt]

Dear whom it may concern,

Thank you for your exchange of correspondence.

The Federal Republic of Germany is a sovereign independent democratic nation located in Western Europe. As an independent and sovereign nation the Federal Republic of Germany is entitled to privileges as a state, including the right to autonomy over its internal and external affairs.

As part of these internal affairs the German Federal Government may amend its laws, enact new provisions, make changes to the Basic Law, and pursue the same measures which respect basic human dignity and the universal rights of man as other nations.

As a matter of legal opinion the Federal Republic rejects the of extraordinary powers of any of the original four parties of the occupation of Germany. The Federal Republic views such a position as illegal in international law and an undue abridgment of the original occupational powers which ceased to exist when the occupation of Germany ended.

Such a legal position is not found within international law and is neither justified nor an acceptable practice of a modern state.

We further reject the characterization of the removal of democratic process and instead highlight the abolishment of Article 79 removes an illiberal undemocratic valve on national reform and allows for the federal executive government, a democratically elected institution, to effective governance.

The German people overwhelming voted in favor of the current National Democratic Party whose center-piece of legislative reform was the abolishment of Article 79 in order to reduce the current bureaucratic paralysis of governance. The requirement of a plebiscite is not found in German law and therefore is not a legal metric or requirement prior to the change of the Basic Law.

Regards,
Bernd Lucke
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs